A FORMER Flintshire man who swapped life in front of the television cameras for preaching on the streets of London is looking forward to a new challenge.

Ben Thomas, who comes from Coed Onn Road, Flint, and attended Ysgol Maes Garmon at Mold, worked as a reporter on the TV news programme Wales Today until 2005.

The committed Christian then decided his future lay in the ministry.

When his wife Bethan, daughter of former Welsh Secretary Alun Michael, left her job to have their daughter Megan, the couple spotted an advert for someone to run a small Evangelical church with just 12 members which operated at the back of a café in Covent Garden.

Ben applied, landed the post and they headed for London with baby Megan on a three year contract.

He said they were prepared to spend years there if that was to be their lives.

Ben added: “Bethan’s father worked in London and she had done some work experience in his office. so it was not as though London was alien.”

The couple made a conscious decision to speak only Welsh to their children – Megan, now four, Angharad, two, and Joseff, four-and-a-half months – so they would not miss out on their Welsh language heritage.

Ben’s work in London included preaching on the street, doorstep calling, running Christian book sales and working with youngsters.

While in London the couple attended classes in theology, and Ben was ordained as a pastor.

While on a training course he was told about the Christian Family Church in Criccieth which was thriving but had no minister.

Ben added: “I decided to apply for the post and was successful. I sense this may be a longer term thing.”